NFL Free Agency News: Raiders Sign Kony Ealy To One-Year Deal

The Oakland Raiders have hosted a fire sale of sorts in the 2018 NFL season. However, it seems they are on the verge of signing Kony Ealy.

It goes without saying that the Raiders have a number of voids to fill on both sides of the ball. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, they are expected to sign Ealy to a one-year deal:

The Raiders are expected to sign free agent DE Kony Ealy, source said, to a 1-year deal. He was most recently with the #Cowboys.

The Raiders have done what they can to clean house this season. This is why the looming signing of Ealy may come as a bit of a surprise. However, it seems they are still hoping to be at least somewhat competitive this year.

It is no secret that Oakland has struggled with their pass rush. In fact, their inability to get to the quarterback has been a major headline ever since they parted ways with arguably the best edge rusher in the league prior to the start of the 2018 campaign. The Raiders have only registered seveen sacks the entire season. To put their struggles into perspective, there are currently 11 players in the NFL that have seven or more sacks this season alone. That said, Ealy makes a welcome addition to this abysmal defensive front.

Ealy signed with the Dallas Cowboys in the summer after spending the 2017 campaign with the New York Jets. Much like his stint in New York, he had some trouble establishing himself in the defense. As a result, he was released during the preseason. Although Kony has struggled in recent years, he is still in his prime at the age of 26. He has a tremendous opportunity to make an immediate impact on this lackluster defensive line in Oakland.